Body Composition Decrease and Impact on Clinical Outcome in Gastric Cancer Patients Undergoing Radical Gastrectomy...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiology
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Advanced gastric cancer treatment often involves neoadjuvant therapy (NT).
• Body composition changes during cancer treatment can impact patient outcomes.
• Assessing body composition using Computed Tomography (CT) provides valuable clinical insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of NT on body composition in advanced gastric cancer patients.
• To correlate changes in body composition (SATI, VATI, SMI, MA) with tumor regression, inflammation, and nutritional status.
• To determine the association between body composition changes and long-term survival (RFS, OS).

Main Methods:

• Utilized CT scans to measure body composition indices (SATI, VATI, SMI, MA) before and after NT.
• Analyzed the relationship between decreases in body composition and tumor regression.
• Correlated body composition changes with inflammatory markers and nutritional scores.
• Performed survival analysis to assess Recurrence-Free Survival (RFS) and Overall Survival (OS).

Main Results:

• A decrease in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Index (SATI) and Visceral Adipose Tissue Index (VATI) after NT was negatively correlated with tumor regression and nutritional scores.
• Significant loss of SATI or VATI post-NT was associated with shorter RFS and OS.
• Decreased SATI and VATI emerged as independent risk factors for both RFS and OS.

Conclusions:

• Neoadjuvant therapy in advanced gastric cancer is associated with significant decreases in SATI and VATI.
• Reduced SATI and VATI post-NT negatively impacts tumor regression and nutritional status.
• Monitoring and maintaining body composition, particularly SATI and VATI, during NT is crucial for improving survival outcomes in advanced gastric cancer patients.